Iotova holds commanding lead in presidential race, new poll shows

President Iliana Iotova and her running mate Kiril Valchev have a lead of more than 23 percentage points ahead of Bulgaria’s presidential election on October 25, according to a Trend poll commissioned by the daily 24 Chasa. The pair have the support of 47.8% of those intending to vote, compared with 24.6% for former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev, who served as acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior in his cabinet. Vazrazhdane candidates Kostadin Kostadinov and Petar Volgin are third with 9.7%.

The MECH party’s Radostin Vasilev and Krasimir Manov have 4.6% support, followed by Ivelin Mihaylov and Yuliana Mateeva of Velichie with 2.4%, and Ivan Hristanov and Stoyanka Cherkezova with 1.9%.

The survey also found that 38% of Bulgarians say they will definitely vote on October 25, while another 20% are still undecided.

Party support has changed little over the past month, according to Trend. Progressive Bulgaria remains well ahead with 40.8%, followed by GERB on 14.2%, We Continue the Change on 7.6%, Democratic Bulgaria on 6.5%, DPS on 6.2% and Vazrazhdane on 5.7%.

• Myara poll: Iotova–Valchev lead with 46.9%, Gyurov–Kandev at 25.3%
• Presidential election in Bulgaria to be decided in a runoff: Alpha Research

Editor: Diana Tsankova